Question

What is a collective noun, and give an example?

Answer 1

A collective noun names a group: crowd, committee, jury,
class. A collective noun takes a plural verb when the
speaker is thinking of the individual members of the group;
it takes a singular verb when the speaker is thinking of the
group as a unit.
The crowd were lighting for their lives. [The speaker is thinking
of the individuals in the crowd.]
The crowd was an orderly one. [The speaker is thinking of the
crowd as a single thing, a unit.]
The team were talking over some new plays.
The team was ranked first in the nation.
The family have agreed among themselves to share one car.
The family is the basic unit of our society.
SOME COMMON COLLECTIVE WORDS
army crowd orchestr
audience flock public
class group swarm
club herd team
committee jury troop